Garment-pressing machine



Sept. 4, 1928. I

H. E. PAGE GARMENT PRESSING MACHINE Filed June 4, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 4, 1928. 1,682,852

H. E. PAGE GARMENT PRESSING MACHINE Filed J n 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wwm Patented Sept. 4, 1928..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT EDWARD PAGE, OF SYRACUSE. NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES HOFFMAN MACHINERY CORPORATION,

DELAWARE.

Application filed June 4,

This invention pertains to garment pressing machines, and more'particularly to that class wherein steam is employed in certain of the operations upon the garment.

The main object of the invention is to provide a structure wherein the garment may be subjected to various operations or trcatn'ients whereby a perfectly shaped article, free of gloss or shine, and likewise free of any spot ting due to the improper action of the steam, or, more specifically, to the water of condensation which sometimes gets upon the garment while it is in the press.

With this and other objects in vieuwuid which will hereinafter appear, reference will be had to the annexed drawings, whercin.-

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of so much of a pressing machine, or more specifically, the cooperating pressing elements thereof, as is necessary to an understanding of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the central portion of the upper pressing element or head;

Fig. 3 a vertical sectional elevation of the structure taken on the line III-III of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4: a similar view, on .an enlarged scale, taken on an irregular line, to more clearly illustrate the valves.

The press may be of any approved type, having-cooperating pressing elements, and in the instant case, is shown as embodying a fixed buck or table 1, and ahead 2, the latter being: secured to one end of a press lever 3 fulcrumed upon a rigid frame 4, a portion of which is shown in Fig. 3. Any suitable means, not shown, maybe employed to rock the lever and causethe head to come into pressing relation with a third chamber designated by 25, and

with the garment laid upon the buck.

The buck may be heated in any suitable manner, as by steam introduced through a pipe 1. So, too. the buck may be provided with suitable suction or vacuum producing means operating through a second pipe 1",

such means not being illustrated as it is well known in the art.

The head 2 is provided with a foraminons pressing face which, in the present case. is produced by a perforated plate 5 forming the outer wall of what may be termed a spraying chamber 6. The head is hollow, producing a OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF GARMENT-PRESSING MACHINE.

1923. Serial No. 643,443..

water, as will hereinafter appear through a pipe 8", to chamber 7. Passage of steam from chamber 7 to chamber 6 is controlled by a valve 10, Fig. 4. the seat 11 whereof is secured in the lower end of a tubular member 12 which passes through the head and has its lower end secured in the lower wall of chamber 7. Member 12 is provided with a plurality of openings 13 and suitable means, a's-a spring 14, is employed to normally hold valve 10 to its seat. Thestem 15" of valve 10 passes upwardly through astuifing gland 16 and at its upper end is provided with a nut 17 and a washer 18. The bifurcated end of a lever 19 ful crumed upon a bracket 20 takes under the washer. the opposite end of the lever being pivotally connected to a link 21 which, in turn, is likewise connected to the end of a bolt 22. Said bolt is secured in a handle bar 23 mounted for rotation within fixed brackets or arms 24 extending outwardly from the forward portion of the head. From this it will be seen that upon a clockwise rotation bei n{ imparted to the handle. valve 10 will be raised from its seat and steam permitted to pass from chamber 7 to the spray chamber 6 and outwardly through the foraminous presser plate 5. This, of course. assumes that valve 9 is open, for under certain conditions and in carrying out certain operations, as will hereinafter appear, valve 9 will be closed.

The head at its forward edge is provided tends inwardly toward its lower edge, such edge extending to a point or plane below the lower face of the pressing face-or plate 5. Thus there is'produced an elongated slot or slit from which steam ma be ejected inwardly beneath the pressing pliite and over and in contact with the exposed face of the garment or material then resting upon the buck. To supply steam to said chamber a pipe 27 extends from pipe 8 to the chamber and a selfclosing valve 28 is included in said pipe 27. The stem 29 of said valve extends upwardly through a lever 30 fulcrumed at 31 to a bracket 32, a nut 33 being secured to the stem above the lever, so that, as the lever is elevated, the valve will be'lifted from its seat. To effect such movement of the lever, a link 34 is pivotally connected to the lever and to a bolt 35 passing through the handle 23. Rotation of the handle counter-clockwise will open the valve 28, valve 10 at such time remaining closed owing to the fact that the inner end of lever 19 swings downwardly away from washer 18. It is conceivable, of course, that the operative connections between the handle 23 and the valves, may be omitted, and the valves manipulated through separate-handles or levers, asfor instance, the levers 19 and 30 respectively.

In order to cool the head, or in other words, to have a head which is cold, which is essential in carrying out certain operations, as will presently appear, means is provided for cooling the head of the press and, broadly stated, it maybe said to be means whereby a cooling medium may be directly introduced into the chamber 7. Opening into the valve casing or shell of the valve 9 is a pipe 36 which is connected with a source of cold water supply or asuitable refrigerant liquid or gas, said supply being normally cut off from entrance into the chamber when the three-way valve 9 is in the position shown in Fig. 3. A suitable drain pipe 37 Fig. 1, is connected into the chamber through a second three-way valve 9*. The handle 38 of the valve 9 is interconnected with the handle 39 of the valve 9 through links 40 and 41, arms or levers 42 and 43 and the rocker shaft 44 to which said arms or levers are connected. Said rocker shaft is mounted in suitable bearings formed upon or secured to the head of the press. It will, of course, be understood that the ipes 36 and 37 will be flexibly connected to t e source. of supply and discharge pipe in order that the head mav be raised and lowto b pressing or smoothing the sameout with his ands, after which the head .is lowered but not brought into pressing contact, and steam is ejected through the head directly on to the garment. This steams the garment in order'to make it more pliable so that the operator can shape the garment by hand and bring it to the desired contouring'position With reference to the buck, which, as Willbe understood by those skilled in the art, may be curved or so shaped as to produce in the garmentthe desired contour. The head is then brought downupon the garment and locked in place. The operator their manipulates the handle 23 clockwise, again raising the valve 10 and permitting steam to pass into the garment, which has theefi'ectv of setting the goods in the position desired. After the requisite time has passed, the press is opened and the head is elevated. This operation of setting is in many instances all sufficient. However, there are drawbacks to this operation, the chief of which is the fact that when the garment is finally shaped into position with the head brought down and the steam applied to set the goods, steam sometimes comes through the holes in the head and spots the cloth. This difficulty may be eliminated if after having applied steam through the head in the regular manner, to effect a softening of the garment, and prior to the final shaping operation, steam is ap plied to the surface of the cloth from the spraying chamber 25. Such steaming may be effected by rotating the handle 23 counterclockwise, which opens the valve 28 and allows steam to pass through the pipe 27 into said spraying chamber and thence outwardly therefrom, the steam spraying across the surface of the goods. After this spraying operation, the head is brought down and locked and the goods will be set in the desired form or position with no possible danger of being marked, as sometimes occurs where steam is .applied through the foraminous head during this final pressing or setting operation.

It is, of course, understood that the well. known vacuum system may be applied to the buck to dry the garment or cloth after it has i been set.

Where it is desired to operate the machine with a cold head for the purpose of removing gloss from tlfi: surface of a garment, which has been subjected to pressure to set the scams or to set a contour in the garment, steam will be cut off from the head by operating the valve 9 to-hringit to the osit-ion shown in Fig. 3. A further forward movement of the valve through the manipulation of the handle ot. When valve 9 is brought to position'to er to set a seam or to effect contouring, will e laid upon the buck andthe head partially Wered, at which time steam may be ejected mm the spray chamber across the exposed I irface of the garment. The cooled head is 1en fully lowered into pressingposition, and, has been found that being cold it will relove the shine or gloss previously imparted.) his is apparently due to the fact that the ;eam tends to loosen up the curled or inter-- ieshed fibers of the fabric which have been rushed downand set during the pressing peration, under the action of the steam and eat. The cold head, while it effects the ressure, does not bring about the condition Jet-mentioned, and in conjunction with the ioisture which is present by having steam irown across the'surface of the garment-by he steaming chamber 25, it is found that the arment havingbeen. subjected to pressure omes from the press with the gloss or sheen emoved, a condition which will not obtain if be head is hot.

What is claimed is,- p

1. In a garment pressing machine, the comination of relativelymovable pressing ele-' cents; means for ejecting steam from the lressing face of one of said elements and onto he face of the goods next thereto; and means or ejecting steam laterally between said messing elements onto said face.

2. In a garment pressing machine, the comination of relatively movable pressing elecents; means for ejecting steam from the pressing face of one of said elements and onto he face of the goods next thereto; and a steam praying chamber located at one edge of said lenient and adapted to spray steam inwardly |etween the pressing elements and onto the ace of the goods just mentioned.

3. In a garment pressing machine, the comination of relatively movable pressing .elecents; means for ejecting steam from the iressing'face of one of said elements and onto he face of the goods nextthereto; a spray hamber located at one edge of said element .nd adapted to spray steam onto the same face if the goods; and means under the control :f the operator for admitting steam through he head and from the chamber as desired.

t. In agarment pressing machine, the com- )ination of a buck; a p ressing-hea'd movable :oward and from the samemneans for admitting steam to the head; means for allowing steam to pass therefrom through the pressing face of the head; a chamber located along one edge of the head; means for admitting steam thereto, said chamfber being open at its lower portionin line with the space between the head and the buck; and means under the control of the operator for effecting a flow of steam through the pressing face of the lfead and from the chamber asdesired. 5. In a garment pressing machine, the combinationof a buck; a head movable toward and from the same, said head having a steam chamber formed thereimand likewise having a perforated pressing face; a valve normally closingthe flow of steam from the chamber to said perforated pressing face; a second chamber formed along one edge of the head, said chamber havin'gan opening adjacent the edge of the pressing face of the head; a valve normally closing the flow of steam to said chamber; and means under the control of the operator for opening the valves as desired.

6. In a garment pressing machine, the com bination of a buck; a head movable toward and from the same, said head having a chamber formed therein; a perforated pressing face carried by the head; a valve controlling the passage of fluid from the chamber to and through said pressing plate; means'for admitting steam to said chamber; and means for admitting a cold fluid to said chamber..

7 In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a buck; a head movable toward f and from the same, said. head having a chamber formed therein; a perforated pressing face carried by the head; a valve controlling the passage of fluid from the chamber to and through said pressing plate; means for ad-.

mitting steam to said chamber;-means for admitting a cold flu d to said chamber; a second chamber formed along one edge of the head;

means forsupplying steam to said last named chamber; a valve controlling the flow of such steam; and means under the control of the operator for opening or closing said valve.

8. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a' buck; a head movable toward v I and from the same, said head being hollow;' a perforated pressing plate carried by the head; means for admitting steam-to said head; a valve normally preventing flow of steam from'the chamber in the head to and through the perforated pressing plate; a second chamber formed along one edge of said head; means for admitting steam to said chamber; a valve controlling the admission of such steam; a handle journaled upon the head; and connections between said'handle and said valves for operating the valves the connection being such that as the handle is rotated in one direction it will open the first named valve, and upon rotation in the opposite direction will open the last named valve.

, 9. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a buck; means for heating the same; a head movable toward and from the buck; means for cooling the head; and means for ejecting steam between the head and the 5 buck.

10. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a buck; means for heating the same; a head movable toward and from the buck; means for cooling the head; and means carried by the head for ejecting steam be- I tweenthe head and buck.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HERBERT EDWARD PAGE. 

